Murphy Brings McCain To Hartford To Speak About Ukraine War

HARTFORD — Sens. Chris Murphy and John McCain made a bipartisan pitch Monday for military and economic aid for Ukraine.

"In order to understand what is happening in Ukraine, we have to understand Vladimir Putin,'' McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told several hundred people at the Ukrainian National Home in Hartford.

"He's a man who wants to restore the Russian empire … if we understand that, we can better cope with his ambitions …and that means military help, but I think it also means economic help for Ukraine."

Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, and McCain, an Arizona Republican, traveled to Ukraine together in December 2013. They stood in Kiev's Independence Square and addressed hundreds of thousands of pro-European protesters critical of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, an experience McCain called "moving and emotional."

McCain drew enthusiastic applause when he said that he has been sanctioned by Putin. "I'm a great admirer of George W. Bush but when [he] said he looked into Vladimir Putin's eyes and saw his soul, I said I looked into his eyes and saw the letters KGB,'' McCain said.

Last week, House Speaker John Boehner and a bipartisan group of lawmakers signed a letter asking the Obama administration to provide Ukrainian fighters with lethal defensive weapons for use against Russian-backed separatists.

Putin has denied arming the rebels in eastern Ukraine, a claim both McCain and Murphy treated with skepticism.

"Ukraine has been invaded by the Russian army,'' Murphy said after the forum. "Everything that Ukraine is doing — every shot that they're firing — is in defense of their country. We need to give them some capabilities to fight back. This is all about allowing this country to defend themselves."

The war in Ukraine marks the first time in 70 years that a European nation has been torn asunder by an outside force, McCain said. "It's not just about Ukraine, it's about Moldova and the Baltics and Poland. Putin's ambition [is] to restore the Russian empire and the battleground right now is Ukraine.''

There is a great deal at stake, Murphy added. "Today, Putin is marching on Ukraine, but tomorrow he could be marching on a NATO ally that the United States has a treaty obligation to defend.

"This has a direct relevance to people here in Connecticut because of the strong Ukrainian community, but this is ultimately about the United States' preserving a world order and a rule of law that ultimately could jeopardize American national security interests,'' Murphy said.

McCain, 78, and Murphy, 42, have forged a bond over their shared foreign policy focus on Ukraine. "I'm thrilled to have Sen. McCain here,'' Murphy said after the forum. "He's a great friend and he and I have been leading for the last several years the fight for Ukrainian sovereignty."

McCain has long been close to Murphy's predecessor, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, but the Arizona Republican called Murphy "a worthy successor" who has "taken a deep and active involvement in ... national security issues.''